Published: September 27, 2017, words by John Carter

My first introduction to Roska was back in 2010. Firstly there was ‘Squark’, the jovial and bouncy yet (kind of) hard half time club track. Then it was closely followed by his collaborative EP with Untold that really caught my attention. Unique, experimental Dubstep-meets-Dancehall sounds, totally UK and something new.

Soon after this time I found myself distanced from the Dubstep and UK Funky scene for a long while, but of course it’s been churning away behind me for this period, and Roska has been one of the consistent foundations. His love for the sound has not changed one bit, and he’s regularly producing funky banger after funky banger.

Besides his productions, his regular show on Rinse FM was a staple up until it ended in 2015. However his label, Roska Kicks & Snares, has continued to push the beloved UK Funky sound and has been a platform for some killer producers including Champion and J:Kenzo. Through his label, however, Roska is continually pushing lesser known talent in his Dubs series and more.

It’s evident his love for this sound stems from Reggae and Dancehall, and in these genres is where his true inspiration lies. As Roska plays In:Motion on October 27, we invited him to kick off our takeover for the Bristol event series. Here, he gives us a taster of the Dancehall that has influenced his music.

Elephant Man

Jiggy

“A lot of the music was picked up around 2004 or earlier as there was an exciting time for me around Dancehall / Bashment music where loads of the riddim’s were going in on their percussion and being so versatile on their approach and interpretation of the genre. The track is called Chrome Riddim and this version with Elephant Man was the one that stuck out for me.”

Barrington Levy

Under Mi Sensi

“As a direct influence to my music I’d say it’s not one, but it definitely was part of my journey into music from my uncles and my father who had their own sound-system back in the 80’s. Growing up around massive speakers, decks and some classic 12″, it was an amazing time.”

Myssa More

Bunny

“Another dope track for me, most of them more about the actual track. This one is quite fresh compared to the ones I’ve chosen but this also made me want to go back to using mose sub basses in my music and reverting back to my original sounds. Most of my music is quite minimalistic with space for anything to happen, always good to be used as tools in sets.”

Lexxus

Ring Mi Cellie

“Another classic from the year 2000 – listening back I can definitely feel like my current tracks ‘In My Zone’ with Serocee and ‘Eediat Ting’ with Jus Now and Fox channel my Dancehall vibes across them. The word play is comical and light, the actual track is weighty and there’s so much space in the track for the artist to explore.”